The Oregon Planning Commission on Dec. 21 voted to recommend approval of a Conditional Use permit in an R-2 Medium Density Residential District at 2083 Autokee Street that will allow for the operation of a local history museum in a building that is currently a church.

The applicants for the Conditional Use were Michael Joseph and Gary Cashin, agents for owner Harbor View Missionary Baptist Church.

Jim Gilmore, Oregon’s commissioner of building and zoning, said the property is located at the southwest corner of Mississippi and Autokee streets. The surrounding zoning is R-2.

Gilmore said the museum would have a lower impact on the community compared to the church.

Joseph said the five year plan for the museum includes gathering historical data on communities that existed in the past, such as Immergrun, Momany Town, South Shore Park, Ironville and Harbor View, for students to study.

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Six months after a tornado destroyed the Lake High School building, district officials have unveiled plans for a new building they say will be open for the 2012-13 school year.

Tim Krugh, school board president, said Wednesday the project will cost about $25.5 million and retain features of the former building which the community said it wanted, including a fixed-seat auditorium and a field house.

The new building will cover about 143,000 square feet, about 20,000 square feet more than building it replaces.

The main entrance faces to the west and will be flanked by office space. A two-story glass atrium will run the length of the building, enabling it to take advantage of natural light, said Dan Tabor, of The Collaborative, lead architect for the project.

Oregon City Council unanimously approved a special use permit for the Oregon City Schools District for the installation of several wind turbines at 3604 Pickle Road.

Oregon Buildings and Zoning Commissioner James Gilmore said the schools requested the special use permit to install two turbines at Coy School.

City Council last month approved a special use permit for the district to install two wind turbines at Clay High School.

“The height of these wind turbines are 157-feet, and they’ll be located 160 feet from each property line,” said Gilmore. “The zoning on this property is R-1 and R-2. The adjoining properties are also R-1 an d R-2. It’ll be of tubular monopole design.”

Former University of Toledo football coach Tom Amstutz once told the Eastern Maumee Chamber of Commerce that his student-athletes spend more time in the classroom than on the football field.

He was not referring to their studies — he meant their involvement in leadership activities and classes specific to football, such as seminars on how to deal with media.

There is one local high school football coach who also thinks out of the box when it comes to leadership skills for his student-athletes.

Eastwood gridiron coach Jerry Rutherford and his players were honored at a board meeting Monday night for their continued participation in Bowling Green’s Walk for Hope/Out of the Darkness Walk over the last couple years. The event was sponsored by the Wood County Suicide Prevention Coalition.